Pinstripes
"Pinstripes & Poltergeists" (alternatively titled "Ghosts" ) is the 47th episode of the series The Venture Bros. A new supervillain, Monstroso, is introduced and the audience learns more about the shadowy secret-agent organization S.P.H.I.N.X. (which Brock Samson joined in the Season 4 premiere, "Blood of the Father, Heart of Steel"). The episode marks the end of the "fall 2009 season" of the series, with the final eight episodes of the season not due to air until the summer of 2010.Clark, Christian. "Seeing More Venture Bros. in HD." Animation World Magazine. March 18, 2009. Accessed 2009-03-21. Plot The episode opens with a shirtless Henchman 21 ("Hench 4 Life" tattoed across his stomach) conversing with his deceased friend, Henchman 24. They discuss the meaning of life, the existence of souls, vegetarianism, and abortion, and 24 reveals that he chose to haunt 21 over The Monarch's cocoon (which was always getting blown up). The Monarch enters 21's room, and demands that he suit up so that they can "arch" Doctor Venture. 24 tries to embarrass 21 by saying (in a "spooky" voice) that 21 has photoshopped the face of Dr. Mrs. The Monarch onto soft-core pornography, but The Monarch cannot hear him as 24 can only be seen and heard by 21. The show's usual opening titles are replaced by a new "S.P.H.I.N.X. Theme" and new opening "S.P.H.I.N.X. title sequence" (featuring Brock Samson and Shore Leave). After the new main title sequence, former O.S.I. agents-turned-S.P.H.I.N.X.-operatives Brock Samson and Shore Leave (aka "Holy Diver", first seen in the Season 3 episode, "The Family That Slays Together, Stays Together (Part I)") are breaking into the laboratory of evil scientist Dr. Schumpmaker, who is creating a mega-weapon out of various foul odors. They break into the lab using the amputated hand of one of the villain's henchmen. Brock enters the lab from above, while Shore Leave enters through the front door. Most of the henchmen kill one another while trying to shoot the acrobatic Shore Leave. Meanwhile, The Monarch, Mrs. Dr. Girlfriend, and 21 shown flying in the Monarchmobile to the headquarters of the supervillain Monstroso (an individual first mentioned in the Season 2 episode, "Hate Floats"). The Monarchmobile proves difficult to land, and The Monarch and 21 must exit on the fly. Back at Dr. Schumpmaker's laboratory, the (few) remaining henchmen and the Doctor have captured Shore Leave. Shore Leave taunts the Doctor. The Doctor laughs: "And I suppose, what, my men will just fall down dead and I'll suddenly not want to pull this trigger?" Suddenly, Brock Samson drops from the ceiling, kills the two henchmen, and breaks the Doctor's arm—turning half the shattered forearm backward until the barrel faces the Doctor. At Monstroso's headquarters, Monstroso orders his men to hood themselves before The Monarch and 21 enter. Monstroso himself puts on a red hood with small horns protruding from it. Monstroso offers a cigar to The Monarch, but The Monarch refuses it. Monstroso rejects several of The Monarch's more outrageous schemes to defeat Doctor Venture. Monstroso threatens to "arch" Doctor Venture himself and cut The Monarch out of the game. Just then, 24 appears and tells 21 about several of Monstroso's armed henchmen (who are advancing quietly on The Monarch and 21). 21 disarms and renders unconscious the two henchmen. Impressed, Monstroso agrees to help The Monarch. The scene shifts to the Venture Compound. Sergeant Hatred discovers Doctor Venture using the Venture boys' computer, unwittingly receiving chat messages from other pedophiles and unaware that the Nigerian money offer is an Internet scam. As they talk, Doctor Venture receives an email informing him that his compound is in violation of zoning regulations requiring that 75 percent of his property be dedicated to "the care and upkeep of American rightness and the active defense of her civil needs". Venture immediately comes up with several ideas to bring his property into compliance. At S.P.H.I.N.X. headquarters, Brock and Shore Leave are cleaning up in a giant tomato juice-filled bathtub.Tomato juice is a folk remedy for removing strong odors, most notably used to remove the strong, foul-smelling odor of a skunk's anal scent glands from a pet's fur. See: Tkac, Debora. The Doctors Book of Home Remedies: Thousands of Tips and Techniques Anyone Can Use to Heal Everyday Health Problems. Reprint ed. New York: Bantam Books, 1991. ISBN 0553291564 S.P.H.I.N.X. leader Colonel Hunter Gathers berates the men, mostly Shore Leave as he constantly damages his uniform, but moments later a S.P.H.I.N.X. henchman arrives and informs Gathers about Monstroso's plan to take over the Venture Compound.In this scene, Brock Samson is depicted with a metal plate in his chest, which was first implanted there in the Season 4 episode, "Blood of the Father, Heart of Steel". At The Monarch's cocoon headquarters, The Monarch is bored by the lack of action generated by Monstroso's plan. Mrs. Dr. Girlfriend is upset that The Monarch has joined forces with Monstroso, telling him that Monstroso is "king of the double-cross". 21, having stolen a BlackBerry mobile device from one of Monstroso's henchmen and used it to hack into Monstroso's computer system, informs The Monarch actually signed a document handing over all his "arching" rights against Doctor Venture to Monstroso. Mrs. Dr. Girlfriend leans over 21 to see the results of his investigation, causing 21 to stare at her breasts. At the Venture Compound, Doctor Venture attempts to induce Master Billy Quizboy and Pete White to sign a lease and occupy one of his abandoned manufacturing facilities. When they enter the building they discover that S.P.H.I.N.X. is using it for their headquarters. A jump cut moves the action a short time into the future, where Doctor Venture, Billy, White, Brock, Shore Leave, Mile High (aka "Sky Pilot", first seen in the Season 3 episode, "The Family That Slays Together, Stays Together (Part I)"), and Col. Gathers are seated around a conference table in the S.P.H.I.N.X. building. Gathers reveals that S.P.H.I.N.X. used to be a supervillain organization, but it was wiped out in the "Pyramid Wars of '87." Gathers and others, disgusted with the bureaucracy of the O.S.I., took S.P.H.I.N.X. over and turned it into a rogue organization which seeks out and defeats those supervillains who refuse to "put on the costume" and join the Guild of Calamitous Intent. Venture sees S.P.H.I.N.X. as the solution to his zoning problem, but the S.P.H.I.N.X. operatives refuse to participate in his plan. As they argue, 21 breaks into the Venture Compound. The ghost of 24 helps him defeat several of the security devices, so he can gain access to the property. But when 21 asks for more help, 24 refuses unless 21 shows off his ability to link celebrity names to their perfume lines to some of 24's spectral friends—namely the dead Monarch henchman Speedy (last seen in the Season 1 episode "Dia de Los Dangerous!") and former President Woodrow Wilson. 21 impresses the two ghosts, but 24 asserts he still can't help: He isn't real, just a manifestation of 21's need to believe in himself. Back at The Monarch's cocoon hideout, The Monarch wants to attack Monstroso for trying to double-cross him, but Mrs. Dr. Girlfriend advises him that the Guild of Calamitous Intent actually encourages double-crosses. Just then, Mrs. Dr. Girlfriend's Murderous Moppets, Kevin and Tim-Tom, arrive and tell the two villains that 21 has gone to the Venture Compound on his own to attack Monstroso. Mrs. Dr. Girlfriend realizes that this development puts The Monarch in the clear: 21's actions are unauthorized, which means the Guild cannot punish the Monarch for the attack. But if 21 suceeds, The Monarch's problem with Monstroso is solved. The Monarch then orders the Moppets to go clean the cocoon's toilets, and Mrs. Dr. Girlfriend reveals that the Moppets are getting on her nerves. Her rejection of the Moppets sexually arouses The Monarch. Meanwhile, 21 encounters Brock Samson on the grounds of the Venture Compound. The two fighters begin to battle one another, and 21 seems to be holding his own. In the S.P.H.I.N.X. building, Col. Gathers has finished wiping the memories of Master Billy Quizboy. When Pete White complains that his mind hasn't been wiped, Gathers tells him that he doesn't have the moxy to be a threat with the information he has. Hank and Dean Venture walk in. Realizing that their minds will soon be wiped by Gathers, Doctor Venture informs them that he's going to tell them about their mother (who may or may not be Doctor Venture's crazed former bodyguard and girlfriend, Myra Brandish, as seen for the first time in the Season 2 episode, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Kills") and that they are both clones (a fact first revealed in the Season 2 episode, "Powerless in the Face of Death"). Outside, Brock has defeated 21 but tells the bruised henchman that he admires how much his fighting skills have improved. 21 reveals the reason for why he was entering the compound, and Brock advises him that an ambush is not the way to go about it... A short time later, as Monstroso is seated at his desk doing paperwork, 21 (dressed in a hooded brown cloak, wraparound tunic, and boots just as Obi-Wan Kenobi wore in the Star Wars films) enters the villain's office and demands that Monstroso tear up the contract with The Monarch. Monstroso, believing he can easily defeat the henchman, puts on his devil's hood and approaches 21 menacingly, telling him he's twice 21's size. Just then, Brock Samson enters the room, and the two men attack Monstroso. The action freezes as the two launch themselves through the air, and the end titles run. After the end titles finish, a jump cut shows a blood-covered but apparently uninjured Brock Samson sitting in Doctor Venture's kitchen, eating a bowl of cereal. Hank Venture, wearing his Aquaman t-shirt and underwear (which serve as his pajamas) and Brock's old jacket, comes sleepily down the stairs. Believing Brock to be a hallucination called up by his sleep-induced haze, Hank goes to the cupboard, gets a glass, fills it with water, and walks past Brock to go back upstairs. Hank unwittingly says, "G'night, Brock." Brock replies, "Good night, Hank." The sound of a glass shattering on the floor offscreen is heard as well as Hank's startled voice, saying, "Brock?"Brock Samson tells Doctor Venture earlier in the episode that he has lived on the Venture Compound "next to the boys" for a year now, indicating that the time between the first episode of the season and this episode (the eighth) has been a full year. This helps explain Hank's surprise at seeing Brock again. Cultural references * Monstroso appears to be based on the Marvel Comics superhero Daredevil (a 'devil'-themed costumed adventurer who also has a career as a lawyer) as well as elements of that character's archenemy the, Kingpin (a crime-lord surrounded by masked men in suits and known for his massive size). * The S.P.H.I.N.X. title sequence mimics the title sequences designed by Maurice Binder for many of the early James Bond films. * Brock Samson says that Shore Leave rips off his pants like a Chippendales dancer, who are known for wearing pants that rip away easily (due to the Velcro seams on the sides). * Col. Hunter Gathers tells his S.P.H.I.N.X. aide who has brought him news to "stop playing Jimmy Olsen," a reference to the news reporter in the Superman comics. * The after-credits scene is reminiscent of a scene in Billy Elliot in which the titular character hallucinates his dead Mother appearing as he gets himself a glass of milk from the fridge. * Col. Hunter Gathers calls Master Billy Quizboy "Short Round," a reference to the short 11-year-old Chinese boy in the film Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. * Shore Leave refers to Brock Samson as "Brock Lobster," a play on words of the song, "Rock Lobster" by the New Wave rock band The B-52's. * 21 dresses like Obi-Wan Kenobi from the Star Wars films. 24 provides another Star Wars reference when he helps waken 21 from unconsciousness after Brock Samson has beaten him. 24 tells 21 he "must go to the Dagobah system," an almost-verbatim line spoken by Obi-Wan Kenobi to Luke Skywalker in the motion picture The Empire Strikes Back. * 24 admits that in the afterlife he speaks with Star Trek actor James Doohan and the Russian mystic Rasputin. * Shore Leave uses the phrase, "...you bet your bippy"—a slightly altered version of the catchphrase "you bet your sweet bippy" used on the sketch comedy television program Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. * The Monarch complains that Mrs. Dr. Girlfriend should fly the Monarchmobile higher to avoid tall buildings. 21 says that the last time they did that, they ended up on an episode of UFO Hunters, a documentary television series which began airing on The History Channel in 2008. * When 21 says he should tell others about the revelations 24 gave him about souls and such, 24 facetiously replies that he should write it down on a golden plate or get aviators and a compound in Guyana. The golden plate is a reference to Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon; the aviators refer to cult leader Jim Jones (who was known for wearing Ray-Ban Aviator sunglasses) and the compound in Guyana refers to Jonestown. * When 21 calls for 24 after he breaches the Venture Compound, 24 asks, "What is this, I Dream of Jeannie?" * Sgt. Hatred has a red POW/MIA flag on his wall, a flag commonly displayed by U.S. military veterans and other concerned citizens. * The silhouette of the plane seen in the "S.P.H.I.N.X. Main Title" is that of the F-22 Raptor, a stealth plane similar to the "stealthy" image cultivated by S.P.H.I.N.X. * 21's tattoo across his abdomen reads "Hench 4 Life," similar to the way rapper Tupac Shakur had the phrase "Thug Life" tattooed across his stomach.White, Armond. Rebel for the Hell of It: The Life of Tupac Shakur. New York: Thunder's Mouth Press, 2002. ISBN 1560254610 * Master Billy Quizboy refers to Pete White as "the Pink Phantom." In the film The Pink Panther, the villain, Sir Charles Lytton, is known as "The Phantom." Billy conflates the names "The Phantom" and "Pink Panther" in a reference to White's albinism. * 21 wishes he could meet the cast of the television series, Firefly. Connection to previous episodes * 24 is now haunting 21, while previously through season 4, 21 was just obsessively talking to his skull. The appearance of 24's ghost should come as no great surprise, as ghosts and magic have been an established part of the Venture Bros. storyverse since season 1, and in season 2, the ghost of Abraham Lincoln appeared as a prominent character ** Following the rules established by Abraham Lincoln's ghost in the Season 2 episode "Guess Who's Coming to State Dinner?", 24's ghost is incapable of interacting with physical objects, although he aids 21 by reconnoitering for him. Lincoln's ghost also established that ghosts can interact with certain objects if the object has the ghost's image on it (for Lincoln, these were pennies and $5 bills). * Speedy has a brief appearance as one of 24's friends from the afterlife. He was a rookie seen in the Season 1 episode "Dia de Los Dangerous!" who was killed by Brock Samson. * Brock Samson is seen for the first time since the Season 4 premiere episode, "Blood of the Father, Heart of Steel". He also still has the metal plate over his chest where H.E.L.P.eR.'s head was lodge in. * Master Billy Quizboy comments "I hate you" to Col. Hunter Gathers after he mentions Billy's mechanical hand, a reference to the mission Gathers sent Billy on (in which Billy lost his hand) in the Season 3 episode, "The Invisible Hand of Fate". * This is not the first time that Master Billy Quizboy has had his memories erased. As revealed in the Season 3 episode, "The Invisible Hand of Fate," Billy has had his memories wiped repeatedly by O.S.I., Pete White, and Doctor Venture. * Doctor Venture tells Hank and Dean about their mother (a mystery discussed in depth in the Season 2 episode, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Kills") and that they are both clones (a fact first revealed in the Season 2 episode, "Powerless in the Face of Death"). However, this happens off camera, and both boys are subsequently mind-wiped by S.P.H.I.N.X. * When 21 confronts Brock in the Venture compound, 21 says, "Brock Samson, at last we meet." Brock replies, "Do I know you?" These are the same lines spoken by these two characters in the Season 1 episode, "Tag Sale – You're It!". Brock even leans into 21's face and says "Boo!", hoping to scare him off as he did in the season 1 episode. This time, however, 21 responds with a roundhouse back-handed punch, which knocks Brock to the ground. Production Notes * One of the animation directors (Kimson Albert) has a "nickname" inserted into his credits. The nickname is an unusual line or word from the preceding episode. For "Pinstripes & Poltergeists" the credit reads Kimson "Brockness Monster" Albert. * The "S.P.H.I.N.X. Theme" is credited to "WEEP" which is Doc Hammer's band. Notes and references Category:The Venture Bros. episodes